Jessica Faust @BookEndsJessica · 23h
When Your Book Doesn't Sell after you sign with an agent. #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2020/04/07/whe…
beth phelan (closed to unsolicited queries) @beth_phelan · 4d
Susan, A Graham @Grahamophones
Hey pals, I want to talk a bit about pitching graphic novels online - #dvpit is coming up soon & the wonderful @beth_phelan has decided to try adding a specific day for graphic novels - Remember, #dvpit is specifically for marginalized authors & illustrators. So if that doesn't-lots of info in the embedded thread, but also i don't think the whole script needs to be done. Have a good chunk of sample script ready, and a good outline for the rest. i think scrivener has a guide for format? #askDVpit twitter.com/Grahamophones/…
Soup. 🌹 @dumbesttimeline
@agentsaba @SIRyder2 If you're struggling for comps, do agents ever take it as arrogance ("this is unique") or ignorance (doesn't read enough)?great question -- i wouldn't mention it either way b/c yes, saying something like "my project is too unique for a comp" will come across poorly. but having good comps > not having them, so you'd be at a disadvantage, but i wouldn't make the jump that you're ignorant. #askDVpit
beth phelan (closed to unsolicited queries) @beth_phelan · 4d
Moon @__soleilune
@beth_phelan ! #askDVpit twitter.com/__soleilune/st…a unique situation, so i think there probs isn't a norm re word limit--depends how much it takes to tell the story well. re illos, i think you want a variety of samples done, some sketches, but wouldn't need to have everything #askDVpit
corvid nineteen @captainsteph · 4d
Moon @__soleilune
@beth_phelan ! #askDVpit twitter.com/__soleilune/st…I think this sort of thing would be challenging in YA now as we're not seeing strong anthology sales even when big authors are attached. That said, if you were submitting, the ms should be done but you can just have sample illustrations (rather than all finished) #askdvpit
Naomi Craig @theslyeagle
#askDVpit How bad a sign is it when you only get form rejections, even after an MS request?Not bad! Getting a ms request is a great sign, but agents can't always take the time they want to take to offer specific feedback in their rejections. Keep submitting! #askDVpit
S.I. Ryder @SIRyder2
#askDVpit is it important to include comparable titles in the query letter? Can you skip it or is that a bad idea?good comps are great + bad comps are worse than no comps (imho) no comps are totally fine if you're genuinely struggling to position it b/c a bad comp -> a poor impression. also feel free to use tv shows/movies if they can speak effectively to an aspect of your project #askDVpit
corvid nineteen @captainsteph · 4d
S.I. Ryder @SIRyder2
#askDVpit is it important to include comparable titles in the query letter? Can you skip it or is that a bad idea?Not an agent myself, but imo using comp titles shows that you're familiar with the target market and already have a sense of where your book will sit when it's published, which is a good thing to signal. #askdvpit
Rebecca Kuss @reebsthereader · 4d
Ashwin 🔱 @AshwinWijay
As publishing is a business, along with a strong manuscript how important is the author themselves when sealing a deal? Like whether it be their marketability or social media influence, is it a bonus or a crucial aspect? #askDVpitin between? social media is a great place to connect with readers so i love to see authors who do this! but when considering a submission, i definitely check out the author's social media presence, but at the end of the day nothing is more important than the writing! #askDVpit
beth phelan (closed to unsolicited queries) @beth_phelan · 4d
kerine. @KayAyDoubleU
I'm interested in publishing a short story collection and would like to know what agents look for in query letters and if having published stories is a plus if I have no previous book publishing experience? #askDVpiti would look for overall theme of the collection/what makes it a collection, and what the collection wants to convey. definitely helps if you already have short stories published, and i personally would like to see an unpublished sample and your biblio. #askDVpit
corvid nineteen @captainsteph · 4d
Ashwin 🔱 @AshwinWijay
As publishing is a business, along with a strong manuscript how important is the author themselves when sealing a deal? Like whether it be their marketability or social media influence, is it a bonus or a crucial aspect? #askDVpitTypically platform is a bonus, not a dealbreaker--at least for fiction. For nonfiction, it can be far more important because you need to be able to prove your bona fides for why you're speaking to a topic. #askdvpit
corvid nineteen @captainsteph · 4d
Emily F. Johnson @LifeMoreSweet
#askDVpit Would my graphic novel be considered #OwnVoices when I'm Native American and my characters are the equivalent of Native people in a fantasy world?Similar to another answer I gave, but I'd trust someone from a specific culture to adapt their culture sensitively to a fantasy setting than I would someone who's an outsider, which to me means the author's identity is crucial to the storytelling and thus ownvoices #askdvpit
Lauren Abramo @LaurenAbramo · 4d
e.l. diamond @eldiamond14
Hi! How do agents/editors interpret #ownvoices? Say I’m trans-fem, but my protag is trans-masc, is that #own, even though experiences of power/privilege are really different? Also thinking of controversy w Roanhorse (Navajo vs Pueblo). What are the lines? #askdvpitThis is one of the things that I don't think has a single or even general consensus answer. Different people (writers, agents, editors, readers) will draw different lines for themselves and for what they support from others. #askDVpit
Katrina🍜 / Bambi 🍡 @bambiATwork
What's the usual time table and process (workflow) to expect after a writer signs with an agent? #askDVpitevery agent's process/timeline is different -- to get the best sense, ask a wide range of pubbed authors what their timelines were like! not a satisfying answer, i'm afraid, but this is an industry dependent on a lot of free labor and creative productivity so it varies #askDVpit
Peter Wayne @peterwaynebooks
I queried my manuscript a few times; however, since then, I have gone through severe development edits to make the story more diverse and unique than the one I previously queried.What would you recommend doing when it comes to querying the same agents again?
#askdvpit
Fantastic! Sounds like you've grown as a writer. If any of the agents said in their rejections they're interested in seeing a revision, get back to them and let them know what you've revised. If not, it's time to research new agents or get to work on something new #askDVpit
Lauren Abramo @LaurenAbramo · 4d
Bridget⁉️🌹 @CuriousArtemis
Why is it crucial that all comps be contemporary? For example, if I'm pitching a queer fantasy Jane Eyre, would it not make sense to mention JE in the pitch? #askDVpitThe purpose of a comp is to say "We know this book is marketable b/c X recently published title sold well." It doesn't mean you shouldn't mention JE (you should if you're adapting it!), but your comps would be other recently published adaptations, not JE itself. #askDVpit
Rebecca Kuss @reebsthereader · 4d
Evalyn_Broderick @EvalynBroderick
If I have an #ownvoices Jewish book BUT it's sci-fi so it involves the version of Judaism I think will be practiced far in the future is this a crazy turn off and/or no longer ownvoices?#askDVpit
not a turn off and definitely still #ownvoices! as a jewish editor, i love the idea of a book that confronts how the practice of judaism is evolving and what it might look like in the future #askDVpit
JaQuette Gilbert @mrsjpgilbert
When pitching a children's PB, is there a particular format that editors prefer? I currently have it organized by pages that I'd like to have side-by-side. #askDVpiti just send PB manuscript as straight narratives, unpaginated, with the words meant to go on each page separated by paragraphs -- i'm curious to hear what others think though since i'm fairly new at this #askDVpit
corvid nineteen @captainsteph · 4d
Evalyn_Broderick @EvalynBroderick
If I have an #ownvoices Jewish book BUT it's sci-fi so it involves the version of Judaism I think will be practiced far in the future is this a crazy turn off and/or no longer ownvoices?#askDVpit
Hm, this is tricky, but in my experience I'd trust a writer from that background to sensitively predict how the religion/culture will adapt far more than I would a writer who wasn't, so imo your identity would still be imp't to the story and I'd still call it ownvoices. #askdvpit
Rebecca Kuss @reebsthereader · 4d
Bridget⁉️🌹 @CuriousArtemis
@reebsthereader @DVpit_ @EziRije How about the reverse? I've a book with a protag who is 17-20 in the first book, 21 in the second, 24/25 in the third. Yet I feel his story is distinctly YA, not NA, at least at first. Is this possible? (If genre matters, it's fantasy) #askDVpityes! i think a lot about the harry potter series and how those books are very much middle grade when they start out and very much YA by the end, but readers were able to grow up alongside the characters. anything is possible! #askDVpit